What's in a name? For GAO, a new one

• By Jason Miller
• Jul 09, 2004

The General Accounting Office is no more. Well, at least the name of the congressional audit agency no longer exists. When President Bush signed the GAO Human Capital Reform Act into law yesterday, a provision in the bill changed the GAO to the Government Accountability Office.

Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-Va.), chairwoman of the Government Reform Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Reorganization, sponsored the bill, HR 2751.

GAO's new name will more descriptively and accurately reflect the mission and work of the organization, the bill said. The change takes effect immediately.

The law also includes several other provisions that relate to employee compensation, worker classification and relocation.

'This act will improve the performance of GAO, and consequently Congress, and that is a big win for the taxpayers,' Davis said.